Things Aren't Always What They Seem
by PoxandRoses1211
Summary: Severus Snape has never gotten over Lily Potter, So when he gets the chance to see her again, he takes the chance. But things arent the same at that night, and Snape is to blame. Also continues in the story of Esmeralda Potter, a girl who lost her memory.


Prologue

Lily Evans was not your average Gryffindor. Besides the fact that she was a muggle-born, and that she was the brightest witch of her age, she not only had the most insufferable, insolent, and heart-throb of a boy wrapped around her finger, as well as a shy Slytherin boy, an enemy snake amongst the lions. At Hogwarts School for Witch craft and Wizardry, she had found a home of sorts amongst the teachers, ghosts, and students. Her knowledge of the Wizarding World increased mightily as she progressed in school, she went from a insecure girl, to a strong woman . As she climbed to her success as a brilliant witch, Severus Snape could not help but notice her beauty. He knew that, despite what they had gone through in their childhood, things would never be the same, since that blithering git James Potter took Lily's heart in his greedy possession. Or at least, that is how Severus saw it. James Potter knew, of course, of Severus's fascination in Lily ever since he and his colleagues, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew had first set eyes on the pair on the Hogwarts express in their first year, and he hated Severus for it.

Though James's love for Lily could never be compared to Severus's immediate need for her to love him, Lily was not blind to Severus, nor James's liking in her, The problem was she hated both of them. James, for his big-headiness, and need for attention, and Severus for his dealings with the Dark Arts. But as the years went on and three children became adults, Lily was drawn towards James in a way she never thought would be possible. Severus was torn between the girl he loved and the life that was set before by the most powerful dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. Severus knew that he could never abandon Lily, but he knew he had to keep her safe, away from dark magic and His pitiful relationship with the dark lord. James began to remark on his liking towards Lily and admit that he fancied her, though it was already obvious. Lily had declined to his offer. But in their seventh year Lily and James were made head boy and girl, and once and for all she caved in and said "yes". Severus became highly aware of the new link between them and was very enraged, losing the love of his life to a hostile prat. So Lily and James created a life, together, while Severus wallowed in his own self pity. The Dark Lord promised him many things, fame, fortune, and power, but he could not give him Lily, and she was the thing that he most craved.

But the world is not centered on the love of three young people, it was a dangerous time for the Wizarding World. Lord Voldemort was growing stronger, as were his followers. Severus's rage contributed to Voldemort's plans to destroy the Wizarding World although he wanted to preserve Lily and share his affection with her. On a late evening years after he had graduated from Hogwarts, Severus was sitting in the minute living room of his flat near he was reading the _Daily Prophet_ just like any witch or wizard these days, when a very interesting article caught his began to read:

'_James Potter, flashes muggles with dangerous magic_. _The young James has been accused of hexing one of his muggle neighbors "for fun" and will be questioned by the Ministry of Magic and the situation will soon be resolved.'_

Severus began to think this was his chance, to get closer to Lily rummaged through many cluttered closets to find his cauldron crammed full of small viles he searched to find the vile labeled _Potter's Polyjuice Potion-Warning: tastes like goblin piss. _He popped the cork and chugged the green liquid that smelled of James, grass, broom polish, and pumpkin juice. His long black greasy hair morphed into a short black hair cut, his nose shrunk to a smaller size and his whole appearance adapted to James looks. He shed his black robes and clothed himself in a t-shirt and a pair of long black jeans and some old tattered converse , and ruffled his hair to look identical to James. He grabbed a hand full of flu powder from a old painted pot on the mantel of his fireplace and crouched down into the small burnt chimney.

_It was happening. Really happening. He was going to see her again._

Those were the things that Severus Snape thought as he cleared his throat and said, "Godrics Hollow!"

He dropped the powder and instantly felt himself spinning. His stomach lurched. He was going to be sick! He saw a frenzy of blurry colors and several things that might resemble other fire places. But just as quickly as it had started, the spinning stopped, and James Potter (or more specifically Severus Snape) stepped out of the fireplace of a little wizard's pub in Godrics Hollow.

"Oh James! Your back how is the ministry?" a plump woman with blond stick straight hair chimed. Severus looked around shakily and brushed soot from his clothes.

"It was fine" Severus said as he lowered his gaze and shuffled out of the welcoming pub full of noises into the deserted street covered in a new blanket of snow, his breath began to fog as he walked down the street, he stopped half way down the street in front of a fairly large house with honey yellow stone walls, a brick fence and a small walk way up to the front door. Severus sat on the curb thinking about seeing L ily again, he soon became over whelmed by his thoughts, planning it through in his head. He became frustrated and got off the curb shaking the snow out of his hair,and marched up to the door. He took in a deep breath worrying about there reunion and turned the brass door knob to find himself in a small hallway.

"James is that you?" a familiar voice called from upstairs.

Could it be? Was this Lily, his Lily? He thought.

" Yes, it's me" Severus yelled back as he slid his sopping sneakers off. He sprinted up stairs to a baby blue room where he saw lily cradling a small child in her arms, he seemed to giggle as I walked in he looked exactly like James but with her eyes, her dazzling green eyes with a sparkle of hope.

"Are you alright? You look a bit.. Frazzled"

"Oh I'm great, just a bit cold"

"Well I'll go make some soup, you must be hungry... and where are your glasses? Don't tell me you've lost them."

Snape began to search himself for a pair of glasses but couldn't find any.

"'Im trying contacts" he blurted out

"Muggle things? Haven't I told you about those?" Lily said sternly.

"Its just something new, Lily." Severus hurriedly tried to cover his mistake.

_I _am_ an idiot._ He thought.

She handed the small child to him and walked to the kitchen, Severus just stared at the child studying his features and flaws discovering a hatred for James son.

"Stupid little thing, just like James aren't you?" Severus said to the child. The boy began to sputter and then burst out crying.

"Shh! be quiet!" Severus scolded the child as he walked him into the kitchen, Severus rocked him back in forth while sitting at the kitchen table waiting for his soup. Lily turned around to see her child asleep in James arms (Severus's) Lily's cheeks turned crimson with happiness and went over to kiss James on the cheek. _Such a sweet man,_ she thought as she went to kiss him a second time. Severus turned his face and kissed her on the lips only thinking of how happy he was. He cradled the baby and she kissed him back only to fill with happiness. They began to kiss with more passion and Severus bit her lip lightly wanting to enter so they interlocked their tongues. Lily pulled away, took the baby out of "Jame's" arms, and motioned for him to follow. Severus stood up. His lips tingled. He touched his hand to them and smiled, then headed up stairs leaving the soup burning and Harry asleep for the night.

Severus awoke to the cry of a baby, the he realized where he was, Godrics Hollow, Lily's head was on his chest and he was back to his normal self. He lifted her off of himself and stood up to find himself naked, he scurried around the room to find some close that fitted him properly, only finding a large sun dress. How stupid will I look..? He contemplated then threw on the frilly dress, he stared at himself in the mirror.

"Well this is a new look..." he remarked and went to go find the child. Down the hall he found the little noise maker. "Shut up, please?" he yelled at the boy then he instantly went silent. He found that he didn't even know the child's name._ Hm, if I only had said please..._ he thought to himself. He left the boy and walked him downstairs into the kitchen where the smoke alarm blared, and turned off the alarms, then cleaned up the glop of burnt soup shoveling it into the garbage.

After the wee hours of the morning went by Severus decided to go home. He wished with all his heart that this was his life, full of love and happiness with Lily. Severus pushed his hands to his eyes to stop the flow of tears threatening to burst out any second. He shook himself, ruffled his dress, took one last look at the life that he could have had. Then, he stepped out of the front door and almost eyes widened to see the real James walking down the street.

_Oh, god. _he thought to himself and closed the door so he was back inside. He ran to the fireplace and took a hand full of flu powder out of the pot. He stepped in and cleared his throat once again.

"Cendres plaza flat 13, London" he proudly yelled as the home around him swirled and flattened. Lily awoke to a knock at the door, James.

Severus ended up in his fireplace, he stepped forward and smacked his head on the mantel "Duck next time!" he said to himself. He sat down into a old rocking chair that creaked with every movement, he dazed off into the distance only to think of the night before.

Severus never went back to see Lily, so every night he ruminated on his time with her. Every time guilty thoughts wormed their way into his head, he pushed them away angrily. _It was only one night._ He told himself. _One night..._

Lily Potter never forgot that night, either. When the real James had stepped through the front door that day after Severus had left, all she said was, "Oh good, you found your glasses."

James was confused beyond belief and asked Lily what she meant. This turned out to be very confusing for Lily and the whole conversation became a very sticky one, indeed. James was convinced that she had missed him so much that she had only dreamed of his happy return. Lily argued thus and said he was only being thick headed. They never got anywhere with the argument because James was all to happy to see her and he only ended up kissing her. With James's lips on hers she could only conclude that last night had been a dream, for there was no soup on the stove, and her dream James never could kiss quite as well as the real one. The kissing turned more passionate and soon Lily was in James's arms, his hands running up and down her spine, he moved to walk her up the stairs and into their bedroom when the cry of a child interrupted his romantic thoughts.

"Later, James. Later." Lily spoke softly to him and he let her run up the stairs calling the child's name, "Harry! Its alright, Harry! I'm coming."

1981, July 26, Esmeralda Potter was born almost a year after Harry. She had James's think dark hair, her mother's soft face, but not her green eyes. Esme's eyes were a deep, deep brown, almost black. Lily knew where she had gotten those eyes, Lily's loving mother. Those eyes were the reason Lily's father had asked her mother to marry him. But that is another story, and one that is unimportant to the one at hand. The family was as happy as they could be, what with the Dark Lord growing more powerful day by day. Their friends and neighbors were being hunted down. No place was safe. But the Potters were convinced that they were protected.

It was around the time where Voldemort was on the verge of ultimate power and destruction, when he heard about something that could possibly, one day, make it all come crashing down. Voldemort could not bear to be robbed of all his hard work, so he decided on the only solution. That very night he traveled to Godrics Hollow. It was October but Voldemort barely made a sound as he traveled over the leaf strewn roads.

Then he saw it.

He reached out to open the gate. It was a quiet house, windows were lit with a warm glowing light.

_Easy. So easy._ Thought Voldemort as he stepped onto the stoop. He heard laughing. Voldemort smiled, _if they only knew. _He opened the door with a wave of his wand.

The man was there, His eyes grew wide with shock and fear.

"Lily, He's here! He's come!" He reached for his pocket, but his wand was not there.

_Fool. _Voldemort laughed and in seconds with a flash of green light, the man was dead. Voldemort stepped over the lifeless body and headed for the stairs. He heard a cry of, "James? James!" but no one stepped out into the hall to face him. He opened the door on the right, and there she was. The woman spread her arms in front of the crib that guarded his prize.

"Take me instead, Please! Not them, don't touch them! Please!" The woman was sobbing now.

"Step aside, girl," He hissed. and within seconds, she, too, lay motionless on the floor. Voldemort stepped toward the crib, and was thoroughly surprised to see two children staring blankly up at him, a boy and a girl. But it did not matter. He was only there for one. The boy was the spitting image of his father, but with the woman's stunning green eyes. Even though he could not be older than a year, he could tell the boy would be handsome. He raised his wand slowly to the boy's face. There was green light... and then pain. Such pain that he had never felt before. Voldemort felt something inside him crack. His knees gave way. His eyes burned and his head swam. He screamed and was barely aware of the roof caving in around him, the walls crumbling.

_No, no! This could not be!_ Voldemort forced his eyes open to see the girl laying just within arms reach. she was not harmed. Voldemort mustered all of his strength. He screamed in pain from the effort of moving, but he found that he had grabbed the child's arm and was slowly pulling her towards him.

_It will not end this way!_ Voldemort screamed with pain and rage. He felt his power dwindling. He had to apparate away from this place. It hurt so much to think and move, but then he was gone. Voldemort vanished, taking the girl with him.

The boy was spread out amongst the remnants of his crib. He did not stir, but he was not dead. Beside him his mother's wide eyes stared at him without seeing. And they laid there, together, until the sound of a motorcycle filled the air above them, and a huge strong hand lifted the boy into equally strong arms. The ground fell farther away as the child was lifted into the sky, his new lightning shaped scar upon his forehead tingled with power.

Chapter 1

Severus's Realization

Severus was siting in his matted bed, tossing in turning from his lifelike dream of Lily. _She was there I swear I must of seen her! She was right next to me... _he patted the bed beside him, cold with no one to be found. His eyes soon swelled with tears wanting to see Lily again, though he held back his mourning. He calmed him self and went to make a pot of tea, _mint, chamomile, green.. _suddenly a knock at the door interrupted his thinking  
>"OPEN THE DOOR!" a voice yelled from the door<br>"Reducto. " the voice whispered and the front door blew off of its hinges and shattered in mid air. And a hooded figure walked in.  
>It was the Dark Lord, he seemed smaller than usual almost unrecognizable. His skin was shriveled and the flesh on his face hung off as if it was a mask. He was doubled over. But He was clutching something in his shaking hands, if they could be called hands anymore. Lord Voldemort's eyes were red slits in his mishapped face and it chilled Severus to the bone as they bored into him.<br>"Don't just stand there help me you fool," Voldemort rasped. "Take the child!" Severus wrapped his arms around the child cradling her in his arms with care, staring at her asleep, she looked peaceful and unharmed. She only laid there hopeless only a few months old, sadness filed his mind seeing only Lily in the girl's face.  
>" What are you going to do with her?" He could not bring himself to look at the Dark Lord.<br>"You are my most faithful follower, are you not?" Voldemort asked him.  
>Severus stared back into those blood shot slits. He nodded.<br>"Then you know exactly what I plan to do. I have been defeated. I, Lord Voldemort, the most powerful wizard of all time, have been stripped of my powers by an infant!" Voldemort thundered. Severus stared at the child again.  
><em>Esmeralda and Harry.<em>  
><em>Esmeralda and Harry.<em>  
><em>Esmeralda.<em>  
>That was all Severus Snape you could hear.<br>"Where did you find her?" he questioned, afraid of the answer.  
>" Godrics Hollow where the Potter's lived." he said in hateful tone. Severus shook his head in grief, hiding his tears behind his emotionless face. <em>How could he, he killed my Lily that ignorant bastard! <em>Severus thought as he stared at the infant, planning to bring Voldemort down in his rage. He thought if he stayed on Voldemort's good side he would be safe and have a normal life, with Lily, but he was wrong he would kill everything that was in his path. Severus stood behind the Dark Lord, his wand pointed at the ready as he held the sleeping child in his hands.  
>" Obliviate" he whispered as the dark lord grew clueless of the moments that just passed, then he apprated to Privet drive where the Dusleys lived, Petunia, Lily's sister lived there he remember about hearing about her letter to Hogwarts requesting a school letter exactly like her sister did. He had no other choice, he couldn't wake up so see Lily's face every day, and take care of her. He began to walk up the front steps to see a small child there, bundled in a wool blanket, asleep. A letter was set gently on top of the boy's stomach. The long, slanted writing on the envelope told Severus who had been here. Albus Dumbledore had already been the to the Dursleys home. As he bent down to open the letter, he now noticed the raw lightning shaped scar among the boy's forehead.<br>"How could something so small defeat the Dark Lord?" Severus whispered to himself.  
>He broke the wax seal and began to read:<p>

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, _  
><em>I am very sorry to tell you that your sister and brother in law, have died along their other child, Esmeralda. Considering your the only relatives Harry I would like for you to take care of him<em>, _with utmost care. I also request that Harry be emitted into Hogwarts so he may become a great wizard like his mother and father. And Petunia, this would your opportunity to be apart of your sister's world. I know how much you wanted to be apart of it. _

_~Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_  
><em>Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry <em>

He set the letter back aside the boy, and he scowled and scoffed at him as he walked down the pathway ending up at the next door neighbors door. The mail box read " Bon and Melanie Jones" _It will have to do, _Severus thought to himself and set Esme on the cold cement stair and began writing on a piece of parchment that he pulled out of his tattered robes:

_Mr. and Mrs. Johnson,_  
><em>I am afraid I cannot give you much information about myself. There is a child that I need you to take, please. She is no more that three months old. Her name is Esmeralda Grace. Please take her. I am forever grateful.<em>

Tears were streaming down his face.  
><em>Coward.<em> He thought angrily to himself.  
><em>You can't leave her! Think of Lily! Lily...<em>  
>A sob escaped him. No, he had to do this. He could not live with the fact that he had taken Lily's child when she had never loved him in the first place.<br>He brought the delicate child to him, kissed the top of her head, took out his wand. The tears were coming fast now.  
>"Obliviate." He whispered. All those memories of James, of Lily, of Harry... of Voldemort...gone. She was Esmeralda Grace Johnson, and that was all she would remember being.<br>He took off his own cloak and wrapped in around her small body. Then set he gently down on the top step, turned away, and disappeared into the night.


End file.
